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Disasters: The Importance of Fighting Mental Health Stigma
The last few decades have seen a steady increase in disasters around the world. Whether caused by humans or nature, for many communities disasters occur with such frequency that they overlap each other. The traditional Phases of Disaster model–anticipation, impact, adaptation, and recovery...
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Shame and Hunger: Breaking the Stigma Through Lived Experiences
In the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that 33.8 million Americans are food insecure. These individuals do not have access to enough food to meet the needs of their household; thus, they must employ various coping strategies to stretch the food they can acquire. Yet,...
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Countering Stigma – Speaking as if Our Words Matter
There are now several identified strategies that can help address stigma toward populations with behavioral health challenges. Some involve providing public education. Some involve the addition of addiction and mental health‑related curricula to educational institutions and training programs for...
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The Ways That Stigma Hurts People Who Use Substances and How to Help
Stigma hurts, when stigmatizing language is used against those with substance use disorders. In a study by the Recovery Research Institute,1 314 survey respondents were asked to answer questions about two individuals who were using substances. The only difference in the way that the individuals...
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Overcoming the Stigma of Mental Illness: Changing Minds and Creating Opportunities
What can be done to overcome the stigma of mental illness? Because stigma is generally understood as a concatenation of negative attitudes and beliefs, community mental health education designed to change people’s minds seems to be what is needed. But there is another way to think about stigma -...
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Art: A Tool for Breaking Stigma
While the reasons for stigma around mental illness are complex and vary by community – we know its prevalence prevents many from seeking treatment – from finding help and building a better life. At the Institute for Community Living (ICL), we offer an array of support services for people...
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How Faith Communities Can Help Reduce Mental Health Stigma
Reducing the stigma around mental health requires a multifaceted approach in which individuals, communities, and society at large all have a role to play. But for many people who are seeking help for a mental health or substance use problem, their first point of contact isn’t a doctor or a...
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Black Men and Mental Health: Practical Solutions
It's no secret that black men face a unique set of circumstances in our world; economic, healthcare, and educational disparities, systemic racism, and social injustice. These factors create a world where it seems Black men's lives are rarely valued, much less their thoughts and feelings. This has...
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Insights From Four Stigma-Reducing Roundtables Organized by the New York State Office of Mental Health and Behavioral Health News
The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) in partnership with Behavioral Health News (BHN) organized four roundtable discussions as part of a larger strategic plan to reduce the stigma of mental illness. The roundtable panels consisted of experts working in community-based agencies, most...
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An Antidote to Stigma
Stigma against persons with mental illness has waned in recent years, as affirmed by a Harris Poll administered on behalf of the American Psychological Association. This poll found a significant majority of Americans (87%) believed there is no shame in having a mental health diagnosis, and a...
